funny thing... camping with my 12-year old last night versus camping out with him when he was 8 years old was a very different experience.

we used the same 4-man tent (Overland - S$20++ at Carrefour) that we used back then... still good condition... we brought plenty of lights (boys love lights)... and 3 battery fans... some snacks, bread, hot water, 1.5l mineral water, some 3-1 coffee, some old seat pad that we wanted to throw away (to make the sleeping a little more comfy)..., and the usual toiletries for an over-nighter...

we had some light rain, no wind, the park was noisy until the rain started (about 10pm)...

we camped in Camp area 3 (WCP designated camp grounds)

i also noticed that most of the camps had little or no activity in them.. my guess is that they were occupied by 'regulars' ... (ask me more by PM)...

the toilet was 50 meters away, park lights were 'on' the whole night and we also had a full moon... i.e. plenty of lighting

issues:
1. The tent wasn't really waterproof, more like water resistant, we'll be investing in a better one by Coleman

2. i shopped all over for a decent rechargeable camping fan/light. they are very hard to find - and we NEEDED it. there was no wind, the battery fans we brought died every 2 hour or so, requiring changes in batteries

... basically we perspired the whole night through... very unpleasant. i really need to find a good unit that will last the whole night ..

3. our bread and snacks were contingency.. we ended up in Macs for most of our meals.. we adjourned to the air-conditioned environment frequently!

costly.. ended up spending quite abit on fast food.

4. the stuffy tent really put a dampener throughout the whole night... our Scrabble marathon ended up halfway coz it was just too hot to think...

...

The good:

1. my son had me all to himself for a goodly 16 hours

2. we had opportunities to pray together

3. i appreciate my bed more

4. we had opportunities to share about issues he was going through in school, PSLE, teenage years-to-come

...

all-in-all, still a PLUS point despite the heat.

conclusion:

we're scheduling another in December at WCP again... the environment
is healthier due to the fact that there's no alcohol for sale anywhere nearby, the crowd is different from ECP.

WCP is cleaned up just past midnight... so most of it is pretty clean in the morning when the joggers start pouring in...

mckenzy wrote:waah... quite abit of info there 25hourmaid... thanks for the guide... appreciate it. How old are your boys now? do they still like camping?

We have not camped for years though my boys enjoyed it when they were younger. That article was written based on our camping experience years ago. No time for camping nowadays due to my boys' busy schedule with their school work.

Camping is a very good method to help the kids release off the pressure and help them to have a healthy learning about the different things in the nature. Camping on a regular bases help the kids to develop a sense of personal development and provide a better upbringing of the kids from the parents perspective.